Massive deforestation has depleted much of Nicaragua’s woodlands since the 1950s, as trees were cut down to make way for farm fields and pastures. Impoverished communities also cleared trees to use for building material and cooking fuel. Over the last 10 years, a grassroots environmental effort to restore the forests has helped turn things around, but a new proposed interoceanic canal could put that progress in jeopardy. In spite of the challenges, environmentalists and community leaders are pressing ahead with efforts to conserve and rebuild Nicaragua’s woodlands.